1. I got to go to institute. And it was awesome. It's only 50 minutes long, but it reminds me who I am, where I came from, and why I'm here. It makes me excited to read the word of God from the scriptures and apply those concepts in my life! Brother Calton always challenges us, and makes us do lots of little self-evaluations to aid us in making necessary changes. And I find myself wanting to make changes for the better!
2. Today is Matt's P-Day, which means two very exciting things: I got an email from him today and will get a letter from him in a few days! He sounds so happy right now, which always just makes me happy, too. Heavenly Father always blesses us when we strive to do His will. :)
3. The semester is about half-way over! The end is in sight! And that means Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up quick! Hallelujah! I get to see my family and friends very soon!
4. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day! I don't know how to explain the effect that this has on me. It's as if the rays beam down and come straight back out my heart. The sun makes me smile, and I can barely contain my happiness. It helps to go to school on a scenic campus. If you ever see a nerdy girl outside in the sun reading (hopefully not a textbook)...it may or may not be me. But it probably is.
5. I am thinking about doing a double major and going to grad school. I can't say exactly why this makes me as excited as it does, but thinking about it just makes me feel empowered somehow. I must confess, there are some days where the prospect of more school does NOT make me excited, but today it does.
6. I just recently started thinking about possibly trying out to be a Young Performing Missionary in Nauvoo, Illinois. Recent as in, like, today. Yeah, it may or may not happen (I would say the likelihood of me getting accepted isn't very good as there are only 20 spots), but it makes me excited to think of it as a possibility.
7. Sometimes I like looking up quotes about random subjects. Today, I decided to look up quotes on happiness. I found this one (which is probably a little tongue-in-cheek):
"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."
-Albert Schweitzer
But I think this one that I found on lds.org expresses the feelings of my heart in a much deeper way:
"True conversion yields the fruit of enduring happiness that can be enjoyed even when the world is in turmoil and most are anything but happy."
-Elder Richard G. Scott
That is the true source of my happiness--that incredible knowledge that I have of a loving Father in Heaven and his son, Jesus Christ, and their plan for us--ALL of us. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
